Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:28 AM ET
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The traditional practice of using vegetable or other oils to soothe infants' stomachs and stuffy noses can put them at risk of a form of pneumonia, according to doctors.
Writing in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, they describe the cases of two Mexican-American infants who developed lipoid pneumonia after their parents gave them oils -- a traditional remedy commonly given to children in Mexico and other cultures.
Pneumonia refers to any inflammation of the lungs, which causes symptoms such as breathing difficulty and coughing. Lipoid pneumonia arises when fatty substances, such oils, get into the lungs. Giving children mineral oil, as a laxative or in the form of nose drops for nasal symptoms, has long been recognized as a risk for lipoid pneumonia.
Still, various oils and animal fats are commonly used in some cultures as a remedy for childhood ills like stomach irritation, constipation and stuffy noses.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA..._01_HAR859262_RTRUKOC_0_US-FOLK-PNEUMONIA.xml
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The traditional practice of using vegetable or other oils to soothe infants' stomachs and stuffy noses can put them at risk of a form of pneumonia, according to doctors.
Writing in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, they describe the cases of two Mexican-American infants who developed lipoid pneumonia after their parents gave them oils -- a traditional remedy commonly given to children in Mexico and other cultures.
Pneumonia refers to any inflammation of the lungs, which causes symptoms such as breathing difficulty and coughing. Lipoid pneumonia arises when fatty substances, such oils, get into the lungs. Giving children mineral oil, as a laxative or in the form of nose drops for nasal symptoms, has long been recognized as a risk for lipoid pneumonia.
Still, various oils and animal fats are commonly used in some cultures as a remedy for childhood ills like stomach irritation, constipation and stuffy noses.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA..._01_HAR859262_RTRUKOC_0_US-FOLK-PNEUMONIA.xml